TJie Scott is Ji Naturalist. 57 



coast of Scotland. During a period of over twenty years' daily observation, 

 the writer has not seen one till the present, and our local fishermen did not 

 know, nor had they seen, the species before. " One was caught amongst 

 herrings off Peterhead, in September, 1S4S, measuring ten inches long" (Dr. 

 Dyee's MS.) It is recorded from the Moray Firth by Dr. Gordon, and 

 from Banfishire by Mr. Edward. It is not mentioned in Parnell's " Fishes 

 of the Firth of Forth," nor by Low, in his " Fauna Orcadensis." Yarrell 

 mentions it as of "frequent occurrence along the extended line of our southern 

 coast, from Cornwall to Sussex, but becomes more rare in proceeding from 

 thence northward by the eastern coast." Dr. Day figures and describes this 

 form as a " variety of the plain red mullet [niullus barbatus)" which is equally 

 rare along the eastern coast of Scotland. The stomach of the one referred to 

 was empty, and little is known as to what constitutes its food. As an article 

 for the table, the mullet is held in high esteem. 



August 2>\^, 18S3. Geo. Sim. 



ON A VAEIETY OF HELIX AKBTJ3T0KUM, NEW TO BEITAIN. 



By JOHN W. TAYLOR. 



In my Life History of this species, published in the Journal of Conchotomy for 

 October, 1881, I gave an account of all the varieties then known to inhabit 

 these isles, with a full description of each form and summary of its distribution ; 

 in addition, I described the most interesting varieties found on the Continent, 

 but not yet discovered in Britain. 



One of the most remarkable of these — the var. Baylc'x Lecoq — has been 

 added to our fauna by Mr. W. Baillie of Brora, one of the most assiduous and 

 successful of Scottish conchologists, who discovered it a few weeks ago, "on 

 a cold exposed rock, with a north-east aspect, in the neighbourhood of Loch 

 Brora, at an elevation of 600-S00 feet above sea-level, feeding upon nettles and 

 foxgloves." The specimens already found are hardly mature, but the peculiar 

 character of the variety Baylei is strongly marked. They are exceedingly 

 transparent, thin and vitrinaceous in texture, of a clear, uniform, yellow colour, 

 tinged with greenish, and entirely devoid of the calcareous maculations usually 

 present in the species. 



According to continental conchologists, the characters specified are the effects 

 of altitude and deficiency of calcareous earths, and are exemplified in other 

 species in a similar way. 



The conchological fauna of Scotland is very far from being known, and I 

 trust the re-issue of the Scottish Naturalist will stimulate the conchologists to 

 investigate and work out fully the fauna of their country. 



POTTERNEWTON LODGE, LEEDS, July 1 6th, 1883. 



